After completion of the construction shown in the previous two posts, traffic was humming along a flat Barbur Blvd. (at right), and Duniway Park was no longer a muddy gully. Apparently the park would be raised at some time in the coming years as it is almost street level now. This photo also gives us a nice overview of the South Auditorium Urban Renewal Area with downtown in the distance.
(City of Portland Archives)
Vintage Portland 
Was Dunaway park built by the WPA? I noted a large NRA sign on a building near where you see the Hawthorn bridge. Nice photo, Dan! Things look much tidier in this photo compared to the previous ones this week.
What a great photo. I love the view of the 1934 skyline. The Public Service Building with the HEAT sign on top remained as Portland’s tallest building up until the early 60s when the Hilton & Portland Center towers were built. Is the domed tower in front of it St. Mary’s Academy?
It looks like the water tower was being built on NE 19th & Prescott at the time this photo was taken. (The second larger tank was built in the 60s).
Thanks for posting, Dan. I really like this photo.
WOW! I can almost tell you the color of some of those old homes, businesses and apartment houses, coming into town on Barbur, sittin’ in the back seat and thinkin’,,,
”Now we turn left, and now we turn right…
Okay, it may have been fifteen or so years later…
…but I still remember!
Fantastic photo! It’s a keeper!
Thanks…
Jim
It is a nice photo. It is too bad all those Italian and Jewish folks lost their homes to the Urban Renewal project. Lots of great neighborhood features and history gone forever.
What a great photo! I love all the details.
Any idea what that tall building in the distance in the Hawthorne area is?
Also, the park is really like looking into another time. This wonderful playground consists of dirt area, raked dirt area, couple of boxes area, and shanty area. Yet there are more kids playing than in our great modern parks.
Yep, old St. Mary’s dome is visible as is the steeple from St. Lawrence Catholic Church (right-center). Excellent series of photos.
“Any idea what that tall building in the distance in the Hawthorne area is?”
Sean G., it’s not the Hawthorne area, it’s NE Portland and the tall structure is the Vernon Standpipe. An earlier version of this tank was the subject of a previous VP post: https://vintageportland.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/vernon-standpipe-1920/
According to the post and attached article, the one in the 1920 photo was about to be moved to St. John’s where it still stands. The one that replaced it (and is visible in the distance of the photo above) is about 3 times larger than the one in the 1920 photo.
“It looks like the water tower was being built on NE 19th & Prescott at the time this photo was taken. (The second larger tank was built in the 60s).”
Chuck, I don’t think it’s under construction. The previous VP post above is a 1920 photo. If you check that earlier post, you’ll see in the linked article which is also from 1920 they had just awarded a contract to replace the one in the 1920 photo (the one in St. John’s now) with one about 3 times larger, which would be the one in the 1934 photo above. I assume that would be the same one that’s still there today, unless perhaps it was replaced again in the 60’s?
When I was growing up on NE 11th & Shaver we had a great view of the water tower from our back yard. And Mt. Fuji-like Mt. St. Helens was immediately behind it. It’s the smaller tank that’s exists today on that site. During the time we were living there ( early 60s) they added the much larger tank to the west of it.
What are those guys doing down at the park?
The corner building on 5th and Sheridan is still there.